Any Device, Anytime, Anywhere Mobile internet users in the United States will surpass desktop Internet users this year, according to statistics provided by the federal government. Users are accessing the web from a variety of devices—from smart phones and tablets to high-definition televisions and wearables such as smart watches. That rapid growth is changing the way websites are developed because mobile users expect the same user experience as a desktop user. Biggest issue for smartphones or other small-screen devices is a site’s formatting and display of content. To navigate through a traditional site, the user has to pinch, pan and scroll through the content. This is not a customerfriendly approach and leaves users frustrated. With a smart phone in nearly every pocket, people expect local governments to make website content easily accessible across platforms.
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Mobile v. responsive The website visuals, structure and content should remain consistent for the user when the site is accessed from multiple devices, but it is unrealistic to build a site for every possible device and screen size. The most complete solution to this challenge is responsive design. In fact, it has been the standard for new web development since 2013. Responsive design is not a specific piece of technology, like a software product or an application. Rather it is a set of techniques used to ensure web content is displayed in a format that suits the width of the device used to access it. This approach is a significant departure from traditional website development. Another approach to delivering content to mobile devices is creating a mobile website. A mobile site is separate version for the main website that has been optimized for mobile browsing. It has a web address different from the main website, and the content
SOUTH DAKOTA MUNICIPALITIES
